"Molenberg is like very small roads, and it always splits there because there's no space, then it goes up, then it's false flat, and you never come back because everyone stays in their position," said Gilbert.

"You're 10 metres behind and you cannot close those 10 metres. On TV maybe it doesn't look like this, but it's a really hard part. Ten metres isn't a huge gap, but when you get on the big roads it becomes 100m, then 20 seconds, then ciao, see you next year."